Bendigo & Back

Struggling with the loss of our little April, we headed back to Melbourne to get our caravan repaired. We were not happy with having to turn around and head back to the cold, but we had little choice. We had decided to base ourselves at Bendigo, as we hadn't spent any time in that area, and we had heard good reports, and it was only 90 minutes from where we had to take the caravan.
First night, we got to Wodonga. We did manage a stop at Jugiong, at one of our all time favourite spots, The Long Track Pantry. As usual, we had an excellent lunch, and stocked up the larder. We love this place! At Wodonga, we did a drive through site, so we didn't have to unhitch. It was cold and wet. Next morning, we had to get fuel, and called in at a trucker stop. We hadn't had breakfast so went into the cafe, and for the uninitiated, who don't realise that trucker stops are not famous for low calorie or vegetarian food, Carol spotted that her favourite, savoury mince, was on the menu, so it was a no brainer, and breakfast was served. Boy was it served, and boy was it good!!

Replenished, we did three laps of the car, and headed for Bendigo. We arrived at the Bendigo Park Lane Caravan Park, and after refusing the first cabin offered, that resembled a large phone booth, settled into our large two bedroom brand new cabin, complete with airconditioning, 2 plasma TV's and all other mod cons. We got all the things we had to, out of the caravan, ready to drop it off next morning. We didn't realise how much stuff we had to take out. It took us 3 hours! So early to bed, and up early and off to Melbourne. We dropped off the caravan, and the plan was to have it back by Friday.

Th talking Tram - Bendigo

Back to Bendigo, and what a gem it is. Full of history, wonderful buildings, galleries, and shops. It is a real melting pot of culture and sophistication. Of course, the gold mining heritage is front and centre, but there is so much more. Did you know that Sidney Myer came from Bendigo? Yes, the first Myer store is still in Bendigo. Did you also know, that Leggos tomato sauce came from Bendigo, and it is not Italian. Those bloody Yanks took over and started spreading lies! The original family owners came from Wales! And finally, the biggy. The chiko roll was invented in Bendigo! So Bendigo is responsible for around eleven trillion calories, that the founders of the Fernwood chain of health studios, also Bendigonians, (that's what the locals call themselves), are now trying to get rid of!

First stop was the Visitor Centre, then off to take the Talking Tram trip across town. It's a must. It leaves from one of the old gold mines, and goes through the centre of town, to the Chinese Joss House (Temple), and back. There is a stop at the Tram Museum, and a great orientation of how the city works. Bendigo is a city of more than 100,000 people, so there is lots to see and do. It was not hard to fill in the week, and then there is the surrounding area to see as well.

Bendigo Cathedral

Timber cottage with iron lace.

There are some magnificent buildings in Bendigo, none better than the cathedral. There is no doubt about the catholics, they sure know how to dominate the centre of town. This is as good as anything we have seen in Europe, just minus the gold inside! All around town you see great buildings. Too many to list individually. Even the old homes have been beautifully restored. There are so many examples of the basic timber cottage with iron lace around the veranda. Classic Australian architecture.
The food scene is excellent, both produce and restaurants. No shortage of places to try and buy, which we do regularly. We really liked the Epicurean Cafe, with its home cooked Italian influenced food. Yummo! 

The longest Dragon, called Loong

There is also the iconic Bendigo Pottery, which we called in at and bought a small piece, and there is an amazing Chinese Museum, called the Dragon Museum, that houses the oldest, as well as the longest, ceremonial dragons in the world. The exhibits, depicting the Chinese culture from the gold rush of the 1850's until present, are wonderful, as well as a fantastic collection of artifacts and treasures from the gold rush t

The Lake House - Daylesford

A short drive from Bendigo, are the wonderful towns of Daylesford, Castlemaine, Kyneton, Mount Macedon and many more. We took many wonderful drives into these towns, all of which are less than 90 minutes from Melbourne, and are trendy little places full of history, and now B&B's, gift shops and cafes. Daylesford is home to the iconic Lake House. This has been on Caro'ls list of places to eat for years, and now it has been ticked off. It was worth the wait. We had the most wonderful lunch on a beautiful day, overlooking the lake. The entree of caesar salad with the crumbed poached egg, white anchovies and locally smoked pancetta, was simply amazing. (Hang on while I wipe the drool off the keyboard!). It was one of those memorable occasions we will never forget.

Bluestone home from 1870 - Kyneton

While all this was happening, our caravan repair was proceeding slower than expected, but with good weather and so much to see, not to mention all the space of our cabin to lounge around in, we weren't that worried! The weekend came, and still no caravan. We were promised for Monday, so over the weekend we took in Kyneton, with it's magnificent bluestone buildings. We had lunch, on a cold and showery day at a beautiful little cafe, enjoying a fabulous pea & ham soup with crusty bread, delicious!

The Cross at Mount Macedon

We then headed up to Mount Macedon, with its amazing mansions. You have to see the homes to believe them, all in the most beautiful bushland setting. The homes are huge, with gardens to match, yet there is nothing else around. It is a bit bizarre really. High on the mountain, is another fantastic sight. The Cross. This is a huge monument to Australia's fallen from the First World War. It was a gift from a wealthy local by the name of Cameron. He wanted something that could be seen from Melbourne, and he built it. It is magnificent. The original was hit by lightning, but it was rebuilt bigger and better than ever, and remains quite a sight.

At the bottom of the mountain is the famous Hanging Rock picnic area. You all remember the movie? Well it was late, so we didn't take a picnic and we didn't go missing, we just drove through.
Monday morning came around, and Carol got a real treat, as a result of the delay with the caravan. The Bendigo had been advertising it's world exclusive exhibition, from the Royal Albert Museum in London, called, The White Wedding Dress. So there we were, some of the first people in Australia to see this excellent exhibition. Even as a bloke, it was very good, and Carol had a ball, oohing and aahing at all the famous wedding dresses, the photos, and the Royal Wedding videos all the way from the Queen Mother to Will & Catherine. In the afternoon, we headed to Melbourne to collect the now waterproof van (we hope!). All seemed well, so back to the cabin, and a late night repacking the caravan, in readiness for an early start north, to warmer climates.! Hopefully this time we'll make it!

Tuesday we headed back to Sydney. We decided to take a different route which took us across the heartland of the Riverina, and would give us a chance to look at some new places, that might be worth a visit down the track. We headed north to the paddle steamer capital of Australia, Echuca on the Murray River. What a great little town. This is one we will be back to spend time in. From here we continued north to Deniliquin, home to the largest red gum forests in Australia, and also home to the biggest ute muster. Yes once a year, literally 1000's of young men and their tricked up utes, gather in a paddock out of town with their friends and cattle dogs, to celebrate all things country, but mostly beer and music!

Blossom trees near Junee

From here we went through Jerilderie to Narrandera, not a lot here, then east to Coolaman, Junee, and our overnight stop at Cootamundra, birthplace of Aussie legend Sir Donald Bradman. The drive was beautiful with the country looking spectacular. Vast fields of yellow canola, and green winter grain crops. The wattle was in full bloom, and being a bit further north and away from the freezer called Victoria, even the blossom trees had burst into flower.

Grain silos at Coolaman

This area is huge in grain crops. Every town, large and small, has its grain silos beside the railway, and with such a bumper crop after all the drought, the silos are surrounded by tarpaulin covered piles of grain, waiting to be shipped. Quite a sight.

We arrived in Cootamundra for our overnight drive through stop. We were immediately advised about all things Bradman, by the enthusiastic park manager, so we decided to take a look first thing next morning. The caravan park was right in the middle of town, so dinner was taken at the RSL Club next door, about the only thing open for dimmer on a Tuesday Night. It was a good, hearty club feed. Up early next morning to take in the sights.

The Captain's Walk in Cootamundra.

First stop was The Captains Walk, which was in the park right next door. The local council, has created a fantastic spectacle of a pathway through the trees, with a bronze bust of every Australian cricket captain, complete with a plaque recounting their individual record. It is fantastic, and is up to date. From here we took a drive past the Don's old home, which is now a museum, but we were unfortunately a bit early!

So off for Sydney we headed. We had decided for a last catchup with mum and friends on the way north, so we did an overnight drive through for dinner with Bev & Fred at Shellharbour. Sadly no time for fishing this time, then off to Camden for another overnighter and dinner with Cheryl & Chris at our favourite little Italian, Salute. Friday we gave the caravan's water leaks a real test at the Caravan Park. Darren, the manager, aware of our problems from a chat we'd had the day before, came down and suggested we get out the fire hose, and give it a real test and a wash! Thankfully it passed the test!

Friday we were back at Rockdale, to drop off a few excess things at Mum's. She reckons the bill has just gone up again! So we took her out to dinner, with Mario & Cheryl, and had a real good catch up all round.

Saturday was like old times. John off to golf at Moore Park, and Carol off for a walk and breakfast with Robyn. The Golf was rusty, but the breakfast, walk and shopping were a success!

Sunday, we are off to lunch with Nancy & Keith, at Danny's Seafood Restaurant at La Perouse, before back to pack up and get ready for our journey north to begin again on Monday morning.